Steven van de Velde, who was jailed for raping a 12 year old girl in 2014, was allowed to compete in the Paris Olympics and has now spoken out on the controversy
He has now opened up to Dutch publication NOS about his experience, admitting that while he anticipated backlash, the intensity of it took him by surprise. "I definitely had a moment of breaking down, both before the tournament and during it. But I thought 'I'm not going to give others the power to bully me away or get me away'.
He was proclaimed innocent of grooming. Because he did not groom her. Do people not know basic details of a case before they start spouting nonsense on the internet?
I'm amazed that you are trying to take the high ground here.
According to the case notes, the attraction was mutual
It's irrelevant if the child is willing, they are not old enough to make those choices. She was 12 and had no capacity to agree to sex with a 19 year old. Especially one that gave her alcohol.
Like, stop talking about research start using a modicum of common sense.